A guide to lodging at Missouri’s three most-visited state parks | St. Louis Magazine

Travelers visiting Missouri State Parks have options when it comes to lodging, including accommodations and campgrounds within the parks and nearby RV parks, resorts, hotels, motels, and rental homes. For a little more comfort and amenities, you may want to opt for an off-site lodging option. Here’s what to know about lodging in Missouri’s three most-visited state parks.

Roaring River State Park

Cassville

The most-frequented Missouri State Park in 2022, Roaring River State Park is a popular destination for trout fishing. Visitors can also check out Mark Twain National Forest nearby. Missouri State Park accommodations at Roaring River State Park include rooms at the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center. The inn is located near the swimming pool, campgrounds, and park store, and it offers rooms with refrigerators, cable TV, air conditioning, and kitchenette suites. Single, duplex, and fourplex cabins are also scattered throughout the park, with each cabin having a kitchen and at least two bedrooms. 

Beyond the park grounds, in Cassville, visitors can stay at Roaring River Resort and RV Park, in either a room or cabin. Or if you plan to visit throughout the year, you can pay a yearly lease at the private RV campground. (Nightly rentals are not available.) Another nearby option is the Rock Village Court Cabins and RV Park, which is open from February 28–October 31.

Lake of the Ozarks State Park

Kaiser

With 89 miles of shoreline, Lake of the Ozarks State Park offers ample opportunities for swimming, mountain biking, horseback riding, camping, boating, cave tours, fishing, and more. If you want to stay nestled in the outdoors but avoid sleeping in a tent, you can stay in a cabin at the “Outpost” or in one of two available yurts, which serve as the only park-run lodging options for visitors to reserve. The cabins, surrounded by an oak-hickory forest, can sleep up to six people. Furnishings include tables and chairs, a wood-burning stove, basic kitchen appliances, limited electricity, and no running water. A central shower house is available. The yurts in the campground sleep five to six people, with a log futon and a log futon bunk bed; the two properties include a coffee table, heater, air conditioner, small refrigerator, microwave, and lamp.

Visitors have myriad options for accommodations, with Lake of the Ozarks State Park spanning such a large area. You can stay at a private rental home from Airbnb or VRBO, a more robust resort, or a budget-friendly motel or hotel. Margaritaville Lake Resort, near Osage Beach, offers a memorable experience, with an indoor waterpark, access to the marina, a space, two golf courses, and several on-site restaurants. Alternatively, the Point Randall Resort can foster a peaceful stay filled with beachside activities. And for a romantic getaway or a golf-filled trip, check out the Inn at Harbour Ridge Bed and Breakfast.

Photography courtesy of Missouri State Parks

Photography courtesy of Missouri State Parks

Bennett Spring State Park

Lebanon

A popular destination for rainbow trout fishing, Bennett Spring State Park is home to campgrounds, hiking grounds, and more. Similar to park-run options at Roaring River State Park, accommodations at Bennett Spring State Park include motel rooms, as well as individual, duplex, and remodeled four-plex units. A dining lodge and park store are also on the grounds. Rooms at the motel typically have a refrigerator, TV, heat and air conditioning, microwave, and coffee maker. Cabins feature a kitchen, one or two bedrooms, and a living room and come equipped with basic cooking utensils and dishes, as well as heat and air conditioning.The individual cabins also have a fireplace.

Visitors can also stay at nearby RiverWood Resort, on the Niangua River. Guests can stay in one of 13 rustic but modern lodges on the property, which can each sleep between two and 10 people. The homes come with spacious rooms and kitchens, decks, and access to an indoor pool and jacuzzi tubs, an ideal retreat after a long day of fishing or enjoying the woods. Also on the Niangua River, Coastal Country Riverside Resort offers a range of options, including a cabin, eco-house, riverside glamping tent, or a personal tent.